If you’re wondering whether Japan is a good family travel destination, my answer is a huge yes. In fact, Japan is my kids’ favourite country we’ve ever visited.
It’s incredibly safe, spotlessly clean, full of amazing food, and very kid-friendly. There’s just so much to do, from temples and theme parks to sushi trains and karaoke rooms. And while Japan has a reputation for being expensive, we found it to be very affordable for Canadians when planned carefully!
We spent 17 nights exploring Japan visiting Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, and back to Tokyo.
Here’s our full Japan family itinerary and total budget (in Canadian dollars) to help you start planning your own Japan adventure with kids!
| Stop | Nights | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | 5 | Tsukiji Market, DisneySea, TeamLab Borderless, Shibuya, Harajuku |
| Nagoya | 2 | Science Museum, Osu Shopping District, Sumo Tournament |
| Kyoto | 3 | Fushimi Inari, Bamboo Grove, Gion District, Monkey Park |
| Hiroshima | 2 | Peace Memorial Park, Miyajima Island, Atomic Dome |
| Osaka | 4 | Nara day trip, Universal Studios, Dotonbori, Osaka Castle |
| Narita (Tokyo) | 1 | Last night near the airport before flying home |
We started and ended our trip in Tokyo and used the trains to move between cities. Trains were fast, comfortable, and easy to navigate even with kids and luggage.
Our two weeks in Japan cost us just under $15,000 CAD for our family of five and that covered everything, even trains and transportation within Japan. For a country this incredible and organized, it was absolutely worth every dollar.
Japan Family Travel Budget (in CAD)
| Category | Cost (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Airfare for 5 (Calgary–Tokyo round-trip) | $5,533 |
| Rail passes + intercity trains | $1,960 |
| Accommodation (17 nights) | $3,126 |
| Food | $2,000 |
| Insurance | $317 |
| Activities & entrance fees | $1,900 (approx.) |
| Total | ≈ $14,800 CAD |
Tokyo 5 Nights
I loved Tokyo so much, I’d go back in a heartbeat! Our first day there, my 16 year old son (at the time) declared he wanted to move there. It’s the perfect mix of tradition and chaos in the best way. We stayed in Asakusa, a great family area with easy access to the metro and tons to do nearby. I would highly recommend this area for families.
Some of the things we loved most in Tokyo:
Tsukiji Outer Fish Market for sushi, snacks, and street food early in the morning – this is free to roam around!
TeamLab Borderless – completely magical and worth the hype, 100% your kids will love this. We paid $134 CAD for 5 of us.
Flytographer – family photos with Flytographer. My favourite souvenir!
Tokyo DisneySea – honestly, one of the most unique Disney parks in the world and the kids’ highlight. We paid $329 CAD for 5 of us – YES, YOUR READ THAT CORRECTLY.
Shibuya + Harajuku for the ginormous cotton candy, rainbow grilled cheese, shopping, and people-watching.
Sensoji Temple – it was right around the corner from our accommodation, you can draw omikuji, which are fortune-telling paper slips, the kids loved this.
Trying conveyor-belt sushi, robot cafés, and even a karaoke night!
Click HERE for $25 off your Family Photo session with Flytographer in Tokyo!
Nagoya 2 Nights
Nagoya was a nice change of pace between big cities, still urban but more relaxed. We booked here solely for the Sumo Tournament we were attending but were pleasantly surprised at what Nagoya had to offer!
Highlights in Nagoya:
Nagoya Science Museum – A hit with the kids (junior high and under are free; adults around $8 CAD).
Osu Shopping District – Perfect for teens who love vintage and thrift shops, there are tons.
Yabaton – Try the misokatsu (pork cutlet with miso sauce).
MiPig Café – You sit on the floor and tiny pigs cuddle in your lap. Yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds! $16 each for 30 minutes (includes drinks).
Our biggest highlight was attending the Grand Sumo Tournament. The tournament takes place at different dates and time throughout the year so check the website and try to plan your trip around one – it’s so worth it! (about $60 CAD per ticket). The tickets sell out extremely quickly – like you know when you’re trying to book your kid into swim lessons and you have to be on your computer at 8:59am for the 9am open? Yes, that quickly. I set an alarm and still missed out on my first choice. Check the site for the date and time the tickets go on sale and be ready! You can find them on 3rd party sites too but you will pay more and since we’re budgeting over here I don’t want you to do that 🙂
Kyoto 3 Nights
Kyoto was beautiful, busy and full of amazing temples.
We spent three nights here and packed in a lot:
Fushimi Inari Taisha – we actually went at night, so it was way less busy, a lot cooler (July in Japan is HOT) and really quite magical at night! Free admission.
Iwatayama Monkey Park – a definite highlight of Kyoto. The kids loved it, you get a good hike in to get up to the top (warning!) and an awesome city view. About $25CAD for all five of us.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest – Even though it’s popular, it’s worth it.
Exploring the Gion District, especially Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka streets.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple – a really beautiful spot, especially with the views over Kyoto. It feels like stepping back in time.
Tip: Kyoto gets busy during the day, especially in summer. Start early, bring water, and take afternoon breaks. A matcha ice cream stop for the kids and for adults try the frozen beer cocktails at Randen Eki-Beer at the train station. Maybe because it was so hot but I swear it was the most refreshing drink I’ve ever had.
Hiroshima 2 Nights
I really enjoyed Hiroshima, more than I expected. It’s out of the way of the ‘typical’ Tokyo – Osaka – Kyoto route but if you can squeeze it into your itinerary, definitely do it.
What we loved:
Atomic Bomb Dome + Museum – powerful and beautifully done. We all learned a lot here. The museum is haunting but in my opinion a must do. My favourite memory is of an older man at the museum very patiently teaching us how to make paper cranes inspired by Sadako’s story. Museum entrance was $10CAD for all five of us.
Miyajima Island day trip – A friend said it reminded her of Banff, Alberta and I didn’t get it until I was there but it did! Take the ferry over, immediately get met but all the deer wanting to be your friend which the kids loved, the famous torii gate, and hiking Mount Misen. Don’t miss out if you’re in Hiroshima! The ferry ride was included in our Kansai Area Pass.
Okonomiyaki for dinner – Hiroshima has it’s own style of okonomiyaki and if you can, get seats around the grill so you can watch the chefs make it (it’s a savoury Japanese pancake made with a mix of cabbage, egg, noodles). It’s one of our favorite meals in Japan!
📝 Tip: Give yourself a full day on Miyajima Island (a whole night ideally!) if you can. It’s gorgeous and so peaceful compared to the cities.
Osaka 4 Nights
Osaka was pure fun. The kids loved it here. It’s colourful, lively, and full of good food.
Highlights for us:
Universal Studios Japan – a must for Harry Potter and Nintendo fans. My boys (16 & 13 at the time said the rides here were awesome) We paid $402CAD for the five of us – another deal!
Nara Day Trip – easy train ride to feed the famous deer and explore temples. We also rented bikes with Nara Rent A Cycle for $45CAD total and visited the Nara Visitor Centre where you can do deer origami, Japanese calligraphy and try on kimono and other costumes (ninja, sumo) for fun and take photos. Also the Naramachi Karakuri Toy Museum which showcases traditional Japanese toys the kids can play with – we all really enjoyed this small museum. All for free.
Dotonbori, Americamura + Zauo Fishing Restaurant – neon lights, endless street food, shopping and energy everywhere. The fishing restaurant is so unique – you actually fish inside the restaurant for your dinner! Needless to say, this is a hit with kids.
TeamLab Botanical Garden – Stunning at night and much quieter than Tokyo’s. We paid $64CAD for five of us.
Cup Noodles Museum – what a unique experience. We had a tour of the history of Cup Noodles and then you get to make your own custom cup of noodles and bring it home as a souvenir! Only about $5CAD each!
🧡 We ended our trip in Osaka and honestly could’ve stayed longer.
How We Saved Money
Skip the Rail Pass: Buying Japan Rail Passes only makes sense sometimes. In our case it was less to buy the tickets individually. Use this Japan Pass calculator to see if it’s worth it for you. We bought one pass, the JR Kansai Hiroshima Pass for $667CAD total and this saved us several hundred dollars.
Hotels: Booking.com had great deals for family rooms, and everything was spotless.
Food: We ate like locals. Ramen shops, convenience stores, and quick meals from 7-Eleven were delicious and cheap.
Activities: Japan has so many free or low-cost attractions such as parks, temples, viewpoints, and shrines.
How You Could Save Even More From Our Budget
If you took out Hiroshima you would save quite a bit. Although we loved it, it is out of the way and the train tickets cost about $600CAD for the five of us.
Cook more at your Airbnb or hotel. You WOULD save more. Here’s why we didn’t. Food and restaurants are so reasonable there that it wasn’t a whole lot cheaper to cook at our accommodations. We did get breakfast at 7-11 most days (I’ll do another post on eating in Japan!) or we had it provided at our accommodation.
Cut out Disney and Universal. Again – it’s so reasonable there we just had to do it. But you would save another $700CAD or so.
The fewer cities you visit the less you’ll spend. If you stick to 2-3 places you’ll save a lot on train fare.
Japan takes some preplanning and organization but once you’re there it is so worth it. It’s clean, safe, incredibly efficient, and welcoming to kids. The food is amazing, the culture is fascinating, and the people were always kind and helpful even with our limited Japanese.
If you’ve been thinking about Japan but weren’t sure if it’s family-friendly or affordable, I hope this post convinces you that it absolutely is!
If you’d like to see our trip in live action, head on over to my Instagram @wanderfarspendless and check out my Japan Highlights.
We can’t wait to go back someday and if you ask my kids, they’d go tomorrow!
Would you like to plan a big trip with your kids but you have no idea where to start? Check out my FREE Trip Planning Guide. Created especially for Canadians it has all my top tips and resources to help you plan an epic trip with your family!
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